Acuity Scheduling vs Calendly

by Gralio Feb 21, 2025

Both Acuity Scheduling and Calendly provide robust online appointment scheduling, but they cater to different needs. Acuity's strength lies in its simplicity and Squarespace integration, while Calendly offers broader integrations and advanced features for teams. Choosing the right tool depends on your specific business requirements and size.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 7471 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 day, 18 hours of reading.

Acuity Scheduling

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Calendly

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About

Acuity Scheduling is an appointment scheduling software that lets your clients book appointments online, 24/7. Clients can schedule, reschedule, and cancel on their own, while automated reminders reduce no-shows. You control your availability, services, and pricing, and can accept payments, all in one place. Acuity integrates with tools like Squarespace, Stripe, and PayPal, making it a good fit for businesses who need seamless online booking and payment processing.

Calendly is an online scheduling tool that eliminates back-and-forth emails when setting up meetings. You can share your availability with a link, customize meeting types, and set up automated reminders. Calendly integrates with popular calendars, video conferencing apps, and other business tools to streamline scheduling for individuals and teams. It's designed to save time, improve meeting attendance, and make scheduling smoother.

Summary

Main difference

Acuity Scheduling is a strong choice for businesses deeply integrated with Squarespace and those prioritizing a simple, streamlined booking experience, especially solopreneurs and smaller service businesses. Calendly excels with broader integrations, advanced features for teams, and a free plan, making it suitable for larger teams and businesses needing more flexibility and robust scheduling functionalities.

Relative strengths of Acuity Scheduling (compared to Calendly)

Strong Squarespace Integration: Acuity's seamless integration with Squarespace makes it ideal for businesses already using this platform for website hosting and e-commerce.
Simple and Streamlined: Its user-friendly interface and straightforward setup make it easy for solopreneurs and small businesses to manage appointments efficiently.
Competitive Pricing for Smaller Businesses: The lower-tiered plans are cost-effective for businesses with limited budgets, offering good value for essential scheduling features.

Relative weaknesses of Acuity Scheduling (compared to Calendly)

Limited Integrations Compared to Calendly: Acuity's integrations are less extensive than Calendly's, which can be a drawback for businesses relying on a wider range of software.
Fewer Features for Teams: Acuity lacks the advanced team management and collaboration tools that Calendly offers, making it less suitable for larger, complex organizations.
No Free Plan: The absence of a free plan might deter budget-conscious businesses or those wanting to try the software before committing.

Who is using Acuity Scheduling and Calendly?

No data

Olesia Krilyshyn

Sales Acceleration Specialist at Reply.io

Adam Robinson

CEO @ Retention.com & RB2B

Who should use Acuity Scheduling VS. Calendly

Acuity Scheduling is a user-friendly appointment scheduling software perfect for solopreneurs and small businesses. Clients can easily book, reschedule, and cancel appointments online 24/7. Automated reminders reduce no-shows, and you control availability, services, and pricing. Integrations with popular tools like Squarespace, Stripe, and PayPal make online booking and payment processing seamless. While some users mention limited customization options, many praise the intuitive interface and seamless integrations.

Calendly is a user-friendly scheduling tool ideal for busy professionals and teams. It simplifies meeting scheduling by eliminating back-and-forth emails and integrating with popular calendars and apps. Users appreciate the easy setup, seamless Google Calendar integration, and automated reminders. However, some have noted occasional syncing issues and limitations in the free version.

Best for small businesses and solopreneurs seeking streamlined online appointment scheduling.
Ideal for Healthcare, Wellness, Finance, E-commerce, Retail, Education, Real Estate, Hospitality, Media, IT, Legal, Non-profit, Marketing, and Professional Services.

Best for small to medium-sized businesses and teams.
Suitable for a wide range of industries, including Healthcare, Finance, E-commerce, and more.

Acuity Scheduling and Calendly features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Client self-scheduling

Supported

Clients can schedule, reschedule, and cancel appointments online without staff intervention.

Supported

Calendly allows clients to self-schedule appointments online.
Unlimited services and appointments

Supported

Acuity Scheduling offers unlimited services and appointments with the Enterprise plan.

Not supported

Calendly supports unlimited meetings and event types, but not services in the same way as Acuity Scheduling.
Payments processing via Stripe, Square, or PayPal

Supported

Acuity Scheduling accepts payments via Stripe, Square, or PayPal.

Partially supported

Calendly supports Stripe and PayPal for payment processing, but not Square.
Calendar scheduling

Supported

Acuity Scheduling offers robust calendar scheduling, allowing users to manage meetings through a dedicated interface.

Supported

Calendly offers robust calendar scheduling and meeting management features, including customizable scheduling, calendar integrations, and automated scheduling processes.
Appointment management

Supported

Acuity Scheduling supports appointment management, including reschedules and cancellations.

Supported

Calendly supports appointment management, including reschedules and cancellations.
Meeting scheduling

Not supported

Acuity Scheduling is primarily for client appointments, not internal team meetings.

Supported

Calendly enables scheduling meetings that involve multiple team members through features like team creation, shared availability, and event types designed for team collaboration. Thus it satisfies the requirement.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

+0

Neutral sentiment

-0.08

Neutral sentiment
Customer Service

-0.44

Rather negative sentiment

+0.38

Rather positive sentiment
Ease of Use

+0.56

Rather positive sentiment

+0.93

Strongly positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

+0.22

Neutral sentiment

+0.7

Strongly positive sentiment
Ease of Implementation

+0.33

Rather positive sentiment

+0.53

Rather positive sentiment
Scalability

-1

Strongly negative sentiment

-0.18

Neutral sentiment

Acuity Scheduling and Calendly Pricing

Acuity Scheduling offers a 7-day free trial for all plans. They offer a range of plans from Emerging to Enterprise to suit different business sizes and needs. All plans include core features like client self-scheduling, unlimited services and appointments, payments processing, and various integrations.

Plans

See full Pricing page

Calendly offers a free plan and three paid tiers: Standard, Teams, and Enterprise. The Standard and Teams plans are billed per seat per month, while the Enterprise plan has custom pricing starting at $15,000 per year. Calendly also offers a 14-day free trial for its paid plans.

Plans

User sentiment

Neutral

-0.08

See full Pricing page

Acuity Scheduling and Calendly review insights

7417 reviews analysed from and

Users love

User-friendly interface and easy navigation for both admins and clients.
Seamless integration with Squarespace and Stripe.
Automated appointment reminders and confirmations.
Customizable appointment types, scheduling pages, and email notifications.
Mobile app available for convenient access.

Easy to set up and use.
Seamless integration with Google Calendar.
Automated email reminders and confirmations are helpful.
Customizable meeting types and scheduling options.

Users dislike

Limited customization options for the booking widget and checkout page.
Difficult to manage multiple calendars for different businesses.
Lacks a front-end refund processing feature within Acuity; requires logging into Stripe.
Limited add-on functionality; no quantity selection, only checkboxes.
No free plan or trial period.

Appointments sometimes don’t show up on the calendar, and confirmation emails are not reliably sent.
Inability to print meeting notes to PDF.
Limited functionality in the free version.
Per user pricing can be expensive, especially when adding team members.

Acuity Scheduling and Calendly Ratings

G2

4.7/5

(404)
Capterra

4.8/5

(2450)
TrustPilot

1.8/5

(54)
Glassdoor

4.0/5

(464)

G2

4.7/5

(2184)
Capterra

4.7/5

(2409)

Company health

Employee growth

7% increase in the last year

No data

Web traffic

10% decrease in the last quarter

No data

Financing

September 2021 - $256K

No data

How do Acuity's Squarespace and Stripe integrations compare to Calendly's broader integrations?

Acuity's integrations focus specifically on website building (Squarespace) and payments (Stripe, PayPal), catering to businesses needing a tightly integrated booking and payment experience. Calendly offers broader integrations with various calendars, video conferencing apps, and other business tools, making it more versatile for different workflows and team collaborations. While Acuity streamlines specific e-commerce needs, Calendly prioritizes general scheduling efficiency and connectivity with a wider range of applications.

Which product offers more robust customization for booking widgets and checkout pages?

Acuity Scheduling users specifically report limited customization for booking widgets and checkout pages as a disadvantage. While Calendly doesn't highlight customization limitations as a prominent user complaint, neither product description emphasizes robust customization options in these areas. Therefore, neither product appears to offer notably robust customization for these features, though Acuity has more explicit user feedback expressing this limitation.

What are the advantages of Acuity Scheduling?

Acuity Scheduling excels in its seamless integration with popular e-commerce platforms like Squarespace, Stripe, and PayPal, making it particularly advantageous for businesses that require smooth online booking and payment processing. Its focus on client self-scheduling, automated reminders, and customizable appointment types simplifies the booking process for both the business and the client, leading to reduced no-shows and increased efficiency. Furthermore, Acuity offers unlimited services and appointments with its Enterprise plan, providing scalability for growing businesses.

What are the disadvantages of Acuity Scheduling?

Acuity Scheduling has limited customization for the booking widget and checkout page. Managing multiple calendars for different businesses can be difficult. It lacks a front-end refund processing feature, requiring users to log into Stripe. Add-on functionality is limited, with no quantity selection option. Finally, Acuity Scheduling does not offer a free plan or a free trial, potentially hindering budget-conscious users.

Is Acuity Scheduling cheaper than Calendly?

Acuity Scheduling's cheapest paid plan starts at $16/month, while Calendly offers a free plan. Therefore, Calendly can be cheaper than Acuity Scheduling.

Alternatives to Acuity Scheduling and Calendly

Cal.com

Cal.com is an online appointment scheduling software that helps you avoid back-and-forth emails when scheduling meetings. It integrates with your existing calendars to prevent double-booking and allows you to customize your availability for meetings. You can share a personalized Cal.com link with others so they can easily book time with you based on your real-time availability. It is free for individuals and offers features for teams and businesses.

YouCanBookMe

YouCanBookMe is an online appointment scheduling software designed to simplify the booking process for both you and your clients. It offers a customizable booking page to reflect your brand and availability. YouCanBookMe automates reminders, follow-ups, and integrates with popular calendars and apps, saving you time and reducing administrative tasks. It's suitable for businesses of all sizes looking to streamline their appointment scheduling. A free plan is available with the option to upgrade for additional features.

CalendarHero

CalendarHero is a smart scheduling tool designed to streamline the process of booking meetings. It eliminates back-and-forth emails by considering your availability and preferences, then lets invitees easily book a time that works for everyone. CalendarHero integrates with popular calendar apps, video conferencing tools, and other business software to automate tasks like sending reminders and providing meeting briefs. It's suitable for individuals and teams in any industry looking to save time and increase productivity.

BambooHR

BambooHR is an HR software platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It brings together various HR functions like hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits, and employee data management into one system. This allows for streamlined workflows, automated tasks, and easier access to employee information. BambooHR aims to simplify HR processes, improve data accuracy, and enhance the employee experience. It is used by companies in various industries and boasts features like custom reporting and integrations with other software.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is a cloud-based subscription service that provides access to familiar applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, alongside cloud services like email, online storage, and teamwork tools. Offering a range of plans for businesses of all sizes, it allows users to work from anywhere with an internet connection, collaborating on documents in real time and improving productivity through its suite of integrated apps. Microsoft 365 aims to be a central hub for communication, content creation, and data management for modern businesses.

Rippling

Rippling is a comprehensive employee management platform designed for businesses of all sizes. It streamlines and automates various HR, IT, and finance processes, including payroll, benefits, device management, and expense tracking. By centralizing these functions, Rippling aims to simplify employee lifecycle management, reduce administrative burden, and improve operational efficiency for businesses. The platform is particularly valuable for companies with global operations, offering localized solutions for international payroll, benefits, and compliance.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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